Lathyrus odoratus 'Gwendoline'

spencer sweet pea seed Gwendoline

Position: full sun
• Soil: fertile, humus-rich, well-drained soil
• Rate of growth: average to fast-growing
• Flowering period: June to September
• Flower colour: cream flushed with pink
• Other features: highly scented flowers
• Hardiness: hardy annual
  
  Creamy-white petals, which look like they have been dipped in pink icing sugar, form luscious sprays of flowers that appear in profusion in summer. This headily-scented variety looks great scrambling over an obelisk or sprawling over a hospitable, neighbouring shrub. Cut the flowers to fill your home with perfume, or leave them outside for the bees buzz about.
  
  In our (not very scientific) sweet pea trial on the nursery, we found that this variety had very pretty flower colour and was highly scented. There were not too many flowers left in August, and what there was had a stem length of around 6 - 8".
  
  All the sweet-peas in our trial produced significantly better plants when the seeds were sown in autumn rather than spring.
  
  
• Garden care:From October to late February, sow seeds into deep pots or root trainers filled with a good-quality seed compost and place them in a cold frame. Pinch out the tips as the plants grow to encourage them to become bushier and produce more flowers, and harden off before planting out in early April. Direct sowings can also be made in October or March. Before planting out, incorporate lots of well-rotted organic matter in the planting hole. Apply a balanced liquid plant food every two weeks while in growth and deadhead regulary to encourage more flowers.
  
  
• Sow: October-February or April
  
  
• Flowering: June-September
  
  
• Approximate quantity: 20 seeds.